Agricultural plating machines have grown considerably in size and complexity. Modem machines are presently configured to store and dispense great quantities of seed to facilitate long periods of operation. However, seed for such machines traditionally is sold and distributed in relatively small quantities.
In the past, seed was distributed in 50 lb. bags, and more recently larger “jumbo” bags have been used. The bag concept suffers from a number of drawbacks. The smaller bags are too small to efficiently load a modern planting machine. The larger bags are too heavy to be handled without specialized equipment, and even with equipment they are considered dangerous due to the size and nature of the jumbo bags.
Recently, in part to remedy these problems, seed has been packaged in box-like bulk seed containers such as the Pro-Box. While addressing the safety issues, these containers are not easy to handle and a means to deliver the seed in large quantity to the planters still exists.
A number of manufacturers have begun to produce specialized carts for handling this bulk seed, which can transport the seed to the planters often in the field. These types of carts, however, for the most part resemble traditional bin-type grain carts, which are not particularly well suited for use with the bulk seed containers. For example, the heavy bulk bags must be loaded with a fork lift, or crane, which makes field operation impractical to impossible. In most cases, the seed must be unloaded from the bag or container and dumped into the seed cart bin, which, depending on the circumstances, can range from difficult to impossible.
Accordingly, plainly a need exists for an improved bulk seed cart which can eliminate or substantially eliminate the problems in the art.